Tbouettm cobpoeation



Oct. 12 1926. Y Re. 16,439-

' Y I P. PRUTZMAN,

r rnocgss FOR nsconoarzme Aun's'marmzxha-oins J v, Original Filed Apr'i l 19. 19.21-

ammr HOPPER CONTAINER REcE I VE R INVENTOR PAUL M. HWTzMA/v 3 AT'ToRNEY Reiaued a. 12, 1926.

UNITED- STATES PATENT fOFFICE,

PA 'UL w. P BU'IZIAI, 01' L ANGEL, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB T0 GENERAL PE- 'rnonnum oonrona'noma CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

PROCESS FOR DEOOLORIZING AND ST AIBHJIZING 0111B.

I9. 1,547,888, dated July 88,1925, Serial Io. 482.670, fled April 1921. Application (or reissue filed September 8, 1928. Serial Io. 134,821.

duction in the amount of materials required to roduce the desired change in color.

n the present state of theart of decolorizoils, the decolorant materials are mixed with the oil in an agitator wherein the mixv work performed by the decolorant.-

, eluding a1r progressively ture is thoroughly agitated to allow the decolorant to act upon the body of oil. -Heretofore it has been considered necessary to rform such operations at tem eratures beow, '250 F. as oxygen from t e air combines with the oil if present when the oil is more highly heated and causes a darkening of the product which partially ofisets the The objects of my invention are attained by subjecting the oils to' decolorizingprccunder tem ratures up to 800 F. which is made 'b e, as hereinafter set forth, by exclu mg air fromcontaet with the oil while the oil being decolorized is in this highly heated condition, the means for exbeing the passage of an oxygen free gas, or vapor over the surface of the heated oil during the operation.

If the oils to which my invention is applied areheated to a moderately elevated temperature, say 250 F.'in contact with an adsorbent'decolorizing agent, a certain deof .decolorization or reductionin' color is obtained. I have discovered that at progressively higher temperatures the color is further reduced, (by the use of the same proportion of decolorant) up to a certain mt which varies with different oils, but w ich is usually above 500 -F., and is often much higher. This increased'decolorizing activity of the decolorant has been I demonstrated in theexperiments leading up to my inventionand is very important, the

value of certain decolorants at moderately spent decolorant.

highvtemperatures, say 250 F. being multi-i phed' from 3 t0 5 times when the 'oil with the decolorant present therein, is heated to a temperature of say 600 F., thus correspondingly reducing the amount and cost of the decolorant consumed and to be handled and of oil loss by entrainment in the The reason for this increase in decolorizmg value of the dsorbent at high temperatures seemingly resides in the increased molecular actlvity of the oil at increased temperatures in deeper penetration of oil into the grains of thedecolorant, in the more complete disengagement of adsorbed'air and gases from the decolorant, and in certain condensations of the colored bodies in the oil by which they are rendered more amenable to adsorption by the decolorant.

When the oils to be treated under my invention have the temperature thereof raised much in excess of 250 F., while exposed to contact with the air, they enter into COIH',

bination with the oxygen thereof with the 7 formation of dark colored an odorous bodies, by which the-bleaching action of the decolorant is in part ofiset and nullified. At still higher temperatures this oxodizing reaction becomes more rapid and complete, and at the temperatures (mainly above 350 F.,) at which I prefer to work, this oxidation will entirely nullify the action of the decolorant and destroy the commercial value of oil product, ifair is allowed access to the oil whileso highly heated. These objectionable features are all eliminated when working under my invention with oils, the temperatures of which are raised much in excess of 250 F., due to the fact that I prevent the access of air to the oil by means of, or through the medium of, a stream of flow current of a non-oxidizing gas or vapor passed over thesurface of the (fJll and in the manner as hereinafter set ort When oils with an adsorbent intermixed therewith are treated under temperatures much in excess of 250 F., they crack or:

in other words, suffer a heat decomposition,

by which decomposition products of a vola-.

tile nature, of an offensive odor and. sub- These eluded from contact with the atmosphere .rial attained, thereby ermittin plied to the various during the r'iod of treatment. B this means the co or of theoil isjstabilize and any objectionable odor due to a cracking of the oil, is removed, and as air'is likewise excluded or maintained out of contact with the oil, the full increase in value of the decolorant at elevated temperatures is' realized, and the desired economy of matea given quantity of oil to be t ated wit a less or smaller quantityof adsorbent than hereto fore, and the production of an oil of a better color and permanency than otherwise would take lace or result.

Any suita 1e form of an apparatus may be em loyed' for the carrying out of the metho accompanying drawings a simple, efiicient and-practical apparatus for the carrying out of the invention, wherein the said apparatus is disclosed diagrammatically, portions of certain parts thereof being broken away.

The'apparatus used comprises a deco orant mixing-vat 1 which is supplied with decolorant from a hopper 2, a retort 3 in which the oil and decolorant may be raised to the desired temperature, a receiver 4 in which the oil and decolorant may fully function andthe mixture may be allowed to cool sufliciently-to permit its being transferred to the final processof separation, a gas tank 5 from which a non-oxidizinggas is supieces of a paratus to 'splace the air whic would otherwise 'react with the oil. I As oilat comparatively low temperatures does not readily enter into reaction with oxygen, it is unnecessary to exclude air from the mixm vat 1. The oil to be decolorized is supplie to the mixing vat 1 from any ex,-

any suitable gearing arrangement terior source notshown through an inlet pipe and, a valve 12 and is thoroughl mixed with decolorant supplied from the hop r 2 having a control gate 15'which disch2r ges into the feed spout. 16. T The agitation a is accomplished b blades mounted upon a shaft 21 an revolved by From the mixing vat 1 the'oil and decolorant mixture is transferred to theretort 3 through the valve 25 and the piping 26. In the retort 3 the mixture is raised tothe deinvention. Ihave illustrated in the crease theab sired temperature by heat supplied by any suitable means such as a burner '31,.and

throughout the heat application the remainmg space 32' within the retort ismaintained fullofsthe non-reactive gas, as will hereinafter .,be xplained, and oxidation of, the heated is thereby prevented;

The heated} mixture isthen carried through a valve 35 and transfer pipin'g 36 to.

the receiver wherein it is alsokept under non-oxidizing conditions until the decolorant has fully absorbed the undesirable coloring materials from the oil and the mixture has cooled sufficiently to allow. its transfer through a valve 40 and'outlet piping 41 to suitable means of separation, not shown.

a As it is desirable to introduce the mixture from the agitation process in mixing vat '1 into'the retort 3 and the receiverA: under conditions that will not cause the oxidation of same, valves 45 and 46' in gassupply lines 50 and 51 areopened to allow free passage of non-oxidizing gas from the'container 5 into these chambers to efiect the removal of the air therein contained, A, continuous circulation of the gas is provided'for by the return lines and 61 which meet at a T 63 and are connected to a pipe 64 leading to a cen-fi the gas entering the retort and the receiver through the valves 45 and 46 displaces the air as it is exhausted by the blower and fol- .lows said-air up through the return pipes 60- and' 61. When gas begins to flowthrough the port of the valve 7 the operating lever 72 is actuated and the flow of gas is directed through the piping 66 into the container 5. The mixtures entering the retort 3 and the receiver 4 are maintained at all times under non-oxidizing conditions due to the continuous circulation of the 'nonreactive gas through the remaining spaces 32 and 33 above the mixture levelsas indicated' at 34.. a 1

The applicationv of the extremely high lot temperatures herein used very materially 1n-.

ant, thereby decreasing the amount re- 3 quired to accomplish the "desired results as sorbing qualities ofthe decolor- The above process is applicable to the decolorizing of oils earth, filtering clay, bone or' other animal or vegetable char, or'an'y colorizing agent. p

While I have described the preferred means of maintaining the oil during treatment out of contact with the atmosphere,

by clay, kaolin, fullers other equivalent deand the preferred means for removi such us vapors as may be thrown o from .the oil while treated in the presence of ad'- sorbent material at hi her temperatures than are referred to, and t e minimum temperature of vwhich is approximately 350 F., I do not wish to be understood as restricting or limiting my method of invention to such particular means, inasmuch as my invention resides in, and that which I wish to be understood as claiming as broadly as the state of the art will permit, the method of treating a body of oil in the presence of an adsorbent material, which consists in heating while maintained out of contact with the atmosphere 9. body of oil intermixed with an adsorbent to cause an appreciable decomposingof'the oil, and subjecting the heated oil while maintained out of contact with the atmosphere to a flow stream of nonoxidizina' medium for removing or carrying awa any gaseous vapors which maybethrown o from the oil during its treatment.

I claim as 'my invention:

1. The .method of purifying and partly decolorizing hydrocarbon oils which consists in intermixing with the oil to be treated a powdered solid adsorbent, the minture in a substantially closed vemltoatemperature at which the oil decomposes a preciably, to permit the adsorbent to wit draw the maximum quantity of coloring matter from the oil, steaming the hot mixture to carry ofi the decomposition products evolved, and finally separating the spent adsorbent and itscoutamed coloring matters from the decolorized oil remaining in the vessel by mechanical means.

2. The method of purifying and partly decolorizing hydrocarbon oils which consists in intermixing with the oil to be treated a powdered solid adsorbent, heating the mix 'ture in a substantially closed vessel to a temperature above 350 F. to permit the adsorbent to withdraw the maximum quantity of coloring matter from the oil, steaming the hot mixture to carry ofi the decomposition products evolved and finally separating the spent adsorbent and its contained coloring matters from the decolorized oil remaining in the vessel by mechanical means.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California, this 28 day of June, 1926.

' PAUL W. PRUTZMAN. 

